Author: Laura Elizabeth

Laura created Client Portal in 2016 after working as a freelance designer for a decade. Client Portal was born out of the need for a simple tool that allows clients to access their project deliverables. Since then, it has grown into an 8,000+ customer-strong product that helps any service provider, from freelancers to law firms. In her spare time, Laura likes to sew clothes and quilts, play the piano, and hang out with her husband and children.

Software & Tools

Top 6 best client + customer portal software in 2026

Laura Elizabeth 23rd May 2024

When you set up a business, customer experience isn't always at the top of your list. Only when you repeatedly start fielding the same support requests do you start thinking about implementing something more official. Portals are a great way to give customers a central place to access everything they need. This prevents them from...

Product Updates

Update 7: All about the Block Editor: What and why

Laura Elizabeth 8th Feb 2024

Today, I want to talk about the Block Editor, what it is, and why we are moving to it for the Client Portal. What is the block editor (also known as Gutenberg) The block editor lets you edit your website by dragging and dropping elements, or blocks, onto your screen and creating layouts in a...

Product Updates

Update 6: Release Candidate 1 is almost ready

Laura Elizabeth 8th Feb 2024

Today, I wanted to update you on our progress for Client Portal 5.0. While we had high hopes for a full release by the end of January, that sadly didn't happen. We ran into some unexpected roadblocks with integrating the content pages, pushing us back. The good news is I got word from our developer...

Product Updates

Update 5: What's next for Client Portal

Laura Elizabeth 18th Jan 2024

Today, I want to talk about our plans for the next 12 months of Client Portal. It's January, so many of us are thinking ahead, and I've had a lot of questions from those who want to know our next focus after the release of CP 5.0. 2023 was a tough year. With the cost...

Product Updates

Update 4: Four Exciting Mini-Features Coming Soon!

Laura Elizabeth 11th Jan 2024

Today, I want to share with you four mini-features that are coming with this release. These may seem small, but they’ve been requested repeatedly and, honestly, are things that should mostly have been doable before now. Mini-feature #1: A fully editable, customizable menu This is something we get asked about all the time. While we...

Product Updates

Update 3: How we’re using feedback from the beta testers to improve the product

Laura Elizabeth 3rd Jan 2024

Today, I'm going to share an update on the beta program (which is live right now!) and how we're running it. We've opened the beta to a small group of 48 customers. Of those, 21 have created portals with the new block editor via InstaWP. (InstaWP allows us to spin up fresh installs of WordPress...

Product Updates

Update 2: Creating Reusable Pattern Blocks

Laura Elizabeth 14th Dec 2023

This is the second behind-the-scenes email for Client Portal 5.0. Today, we are talking about something that (IMO) will end up being the favorite feature of Client Portal 5.0. Introducing: Reusable Patterns 🎉 Until now, every portal has needed to be custom for each client. Which, as you know, can take a long time to...

Product Updates

Update 1: A First Look at the New Block Editor

Laura Elizabeth 4th Dec 2023

Here it is: a first look at the new block editor coming in Client Portal 5.0. This is currently in beta and due to be released by mid-January 2024. In this video, we cover: What the new editor looks like from the backend How to style each block Editing the menu Embedding videos Changes to...

Project Management

The underwhelming experience of paying a deposit (and how to flip it on its head)

Laura Elizabeth 19th Sep 2023

I remember getting my first MacBook. I was 17 and had just started a course in graphic design. Like many people, we didn’t have a lot of money growing up so I never had the latest, well, anything. But my mum was adamant that I needed a laptop for college. And not just any old...

Project Management

10 essential documents you need for high-value client projects

Laura Elizabeth 8th Aug 2023

When it comes to high-value client projects, getting the documents and deliverables right is crucial. You don’t want to go overboard with too much information (and you don’t want to include fluff documents), but you do need to give your client everything they need to trust that you’ve got this. High-value projects are often fairly...